Before Possible Side Effects and A Wolf at the Table, Augusten Burroughs gave us this harrowing yet hilarious childhood memoir that inspired the film of the same name. Burroughs's mother was a poet with delusions of being the next Anne Sexton, and gave away her adolescent son to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist Dr. Finch. The bizarre environment of the Finch household included some of the doctor's patients, and rules were unknown—skipping school, prescription drug abuse, destruction of property, and all sorts of sexual experimentation were the norm. Yet somehow, Burroughs survived and even maintained something of a hopeful outlook.

"A bawdy, outrageous, often hilarious account.... In keeping with this book's dauntless comic timing, this guy doesn't miss a beat."—NYTimes